CALL FOR APPLICATIONS The Department of Philosophy at the University of Vienna is inviting applications for the position of a PhD candidate (100%, i.e. 30 hours/week; 3 years) within the project “The Roots of Mathematical Structuralism“. This is a 5-year Starting Grant-project (2017-2022) funded by the European Research Council and led by Principal Investigator Georg Schiemer, Assistant Professor at the Department of Philosophy. Project Description: The project investigates the mathematical and philosophical roots of mathematical structuralism. The focus is set on two historical developments in nineteenth century mathematics and early twentieth century philosophy of science: the first one concerns several conceptual changes in geometry between 1860 and 1910 that eventually led to a “structural turn” in the field. This includes the gradual implementation of model-theoretic techniques in geometrical reasoning, the study of geometrical theories by group-theoretic methods as well as the consolidation of formal axiomatics. The second development considered here concerns the beginnings of the philosophical reflection on structural mathematics between 1900 and 1940. This includes different attempts by thinkers such as Rudolf Carnap, Edmund Husserl, and Ernst Cassirer (among others) to spell out the philosophical implications of the new structuralist methodologies at work in modern geometry. The principal objective of the project is to provide the first comparative investigation of these early contributions to structuralism and their immediate mathematical background. The second aim of the project is to connect these contributions with more recent debates on mathematical structuralism. Specifically, the project will provide new systematic insights relevant to contemporary structuralism, in particular a new understanding of notions such as mathematical structure, structural abstraction, and structural properties, as well as of their significance for the philosophy of mathematical practice. The PhD candidate will conduct research on the philosophy of mathematics related to subproject 2 “Early Mathematical Structuralism” and/or subproject 3 “New Foundations for Mathematical Structuralism”. Potential topics in these areas include (but are not limited to): -) Early contributions to the philosophy of structural mathematics (by Cassirer, Husserl, and Carnap) -) Structural abstraction principles and non-eliminative structuralism -) Structuralism as a philosophy of mathematical practice -) New foundations for structural mathematics The PhD candidate will carry out research on one of these fields (or a related topic) with the aim of publishing a doctoral thesis under the supervision of Prof. Georg Schiemer. The candidate is expected to present the results of her/his work in peer-reviewed journals as well as at international conferences. She/he is also expected to assist in the organization of local workshops and/or conferences. The position comes without teaching obligations and no German language competency is required. Requirements: The successful candidate will have a Master’s degree in philosophy and/or mathematics. If the PhD applicant does not yet have a Master’s degree at the time of the application, the applicant can submit a letter by the university confirming that the MA thesis has been submitted. The successful candidate for the position will have demonstrable competence in the philosophy of mathematics. Application: Application (including CV, certificates, list of publications), a description of planned research (500-1000 words), as well as a writing sample should be sent by email to florian.kolowrat@univie.ac.at The deadline for this application is October 31, 2018. The starting date for the position is January 15, 2019 (a later starting date is possible in exceptional cases). For further questions, please contact Georg Schiemer (georg.schiemer@univie.ac.at) and/or visit: https://structuralism.phl.univie.ac.at/